It is not uncommon for dying people to voice something along the line of; I pray that I have done enough to go to Heaven. That sort of comment usually receives a variety of responses some of which are from different ends of the spectrum. For example, some would counsel, It’s not what you have done for Christ but rather what Christ has done for you, and ultimately present the idea of universal salvation, because, after all, Christ died for you. So many funerals have this as their theme. Ultimately it says nothing of any real substance or hope.
Suppose the dying person is a good moral atheist who says, I hope I have done enough to receive whatever rewards there may be from whatever gods there may be. Shall we deny scriptures like Heb. 11:6 to say this person is heaven-bound? Suppose the dying person is a devout Jew who does not believe in Jesus. Shall we discredit John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 to give him hope? Suppose the person has been a good moral religious denominationalist who has believed Jesus to be the Son of God, done many good works in His name, but has never obeyed the gospel. Shall we therefore say that baptism for remission of sins is optional.
But what if the dying person is a member of the Lord’s body? Would it still be true, It’s not what you have done for Christ but rather what Christ has done for you? We cannot afford to be glib with any Biblical doctrine. Many truths are determined by weighing one truth against another. It is easy to take a Biblical truth and establish an extreme view without counterbalancing it with the corresponding truth from the other side of the same coin. This is how the erroneous doctrine of “salvation by faith only” got started. Salvation is by faith, but not by faith only. A man is justified by works, but not by works of merit. The Bible lays great emphasis upon faith in Christ, but we are not to be blind to the fact that it lays great emphasis upon works as well. The Bible commands that Christians grow in grace and knowledge (2 Pet. 3:18); bear much fruit (John 15:8); cause men to see good works that God may be glorified (Matt.5:16); be filled with the fruits of righteousness (Phil. 1:11); bear fruit in every good work (Col. 1:10) and not be unfruitful (Titus 3:14) but be careful to maintain good works (Titus 3:8).
So for a dying Christian to express the hope his or her life has been replete with obedience to the work of God is not bad, nor is it contrary to Biblical teaching. Works will enter into judgement. If the dying Christian has in mind the idea that the good deeds done will earn him a place in heaven quite apart from the grace of God, he is severely deluded. But we ought not to be too hasty to deprecate the saint who with his dying breath expresses an earnest desire that his life has been filled with good works which God will judge and reward. Works and judgement do go together in scripture: God will render to every man according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6): God will bring very work into judgement….(Eccles. 12:13,14): and who can forget Thou wicked and slothful servant…(Matt. 25:26).
Does God expect the same of all Christians? In one way yes but in another way, no, as the parable of the talents would indicate. But He expects something from all His servants. The parable of the hours teaches that some will do a lot more for the Master in their lifetime bearing the heat of the day, than others who will accomplish little in but one hour of coolness at the end of the day. That is the Lord’s business. We are told in 1 Cor. 15:58 to be abounding in the work of the Lord. What is the work of the Lord? Whatever it is, it is work that can be properly called as “of the Lord” and not in vain. Eccles. 5:15,16 speaks of one that labours for the wind. One who labours to amass wealth etc., labours for wind. We have work to do that people of the world have to do – provide for ourselves and our families. If that is all we do we do nothing more than the people of the world – they do that much. I’m not saying that providing for self and family is not a good work to do, but it is not in the unique sense the “work of the Lord”. We are servants of God and we work in the vineyard – these expressions denote a peculiar set of tasks in the world which non-Christians are not involved in. If we are too busy to be involved then we are too busy – and such a condition needs to be fixed. We all have work to do. The world is built upon it ever since man was expelled from Eden. What is our attitude toward work?
Various attitudes exist. There are those who consider work a curse, but it is not so (Eccles.5:19,20). You can learn to like anything: I know this is true because when I was young in the RAAF Academy I was racking up punishments faster than I could work them off. When called “across the road” to explain myself I said, Well, Sir, it’s like this. I figure you could either like it or lump it. I decided to like it”. Abe Lincoln said, My father taught me to work – he did not teach me to love it. Nothing is really work unless you would be rather doing something else (J.M. Barrie). Most people refuse to face the fact that play is as exhausting as work (P.K. Shaw).
Others try to do as little as possible. Spike Milligan said, Well we can’t stand around here doing nothing, people will think we’re workmen. Some think they were born allergic to work, but getting up early is simply a matter of mind over mattress (W.G.P.). I worked with a fellow who seemed to think that he was paid for spending time away from home, but Eccles. 9:10 advises us to throw ourselves into our work. Others are content to let others do it, or rather work when the boss is watching: a chief engineer coming down the compartment way into the engine room shouted to a seaman, “How long have you been working in this compartment?” The seaman, recently assigned to the firing crew who shoveled coal under the boilers, said, “Ever since I saw you coming down the ladder!” Mark 14:8 records Jesus praise of the woman who anointed His feet with precious ointment with that statement “she has done what she could”. What a wonderful lesson. Most of us tend to excuse ourselves from various tasks convinced in our minds that we cannot do them, but it’s all in the mind and attitude.
Attitude makes the difference between a long day and a short day. Doing as little as possible will really stretch out a day. Attitude makes the difference as to whether the work is enjoyed and how much is accomplished. The Jews returned from Babylonian captivity and under the direction of Nehemiah they rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem (Neh. 4:6). Why did they “have a mind to work”? Because they understood their work was a heavenly work. Sure it was back-breaking work clearing rubble and rebuilding a wall, or guarding those who wee so engaged, but they saw beyond that and knew they were doing their part in preparing and maintaining the order of things “till the fulness of time” would come. They understood it was the Lord’s work and the way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for them (Benjamin Jowett).
There is no substitute for hard work, said Thomas Edison. Many want to short circuit the process: I have gotten adverts for university degrees in two weeks, and no study required. Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate – it doesn’t matter, just order yours today, the ad says. I suspect there would be those who would find the offer attractive – the old “something for nothing” routine. We are to be co-workers with God. What is He accomplishing in and through us? When we get to the end of our earthly journey and we’re reflecting on our time in the Lord’s vineyard, what will be our thoughts?